BeTheShift

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MISSION STATEMENT

To Empower people to create sustainable, lasting change in their communities and countries through:

* Creating Awareness of the current issues and conditions
* Creating Alternatives that promote Dignity, Justice, Unity, and Accountability
* Taking Action that supports the creation of these alternatives

HAPPENING RIGHT NOW:

South Dakota's Lakota Sioux- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 2010 Crisis

* February 1st, 2010 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has declared state of emergency after severe ice storm devastates reservation
* Storm topples more than 3000 power poles
* 13,000 people without power, heat and water

What needs to be addressed:

1. The water system is outdated and operating at capacity, leaving the tribe no room for economic expansion and preventing its housing authority from building new homes. This allocation would put a long-term solution in place and give the Lakota Sioux people an opportunity to prosper. Without water -- the most basic building block of life and society -- the people of the Lakota Sioux Reservation have little hope of impacting their situation in a way where they may prosper and thrive.

2. To explain the need for water infrastructure, since the late 1950's the tribe was forced to move from their original Tribal Head Quarters, known as the Old Agency on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, which was located on the river bottom. The Tribal leaders during this time, built schools, hospitals and our own police department with tribal dollars. All is under water now. The book "Dammed Indians" shows how the Pick-Sloan Act forced tribal people up and down the Missouri River. This was done to make way for the Dam to make Hydro Power for the government, our precious resource of water is utilized to generate billions of dollars worth of electricity yearly, for the United States Government.